California companies are rushing to voluntarily register their greenhouse gases before the launch of a major statewide program this year to address global warming.
A total of 116 companies registered their emissions with the California Climate Action Registry in December -- more than doubling the number of companies enrolled to 221. Those actions do not yet result in reduced emissions, but they signal that many businesses have begun scrutinizing their operations to function in a world where greenhouse gases are regulated like other pollutants.
Among the enrollees are Xerox, Kodak, Hewlett Packard, Southern California Edison, Dow Chemical, Kaiser Permanente and Ultramar. San Francisco registered its emissions, as did Stanford University and the Los Angeles Community College District.
The late-year rush was triggered by a deadline in California's new anti-global warming law, which gave businesses until Dec. 31 to voluntarily file their emissions and be eligible for credits once regulations kicked in under AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. The law took effect Jan. 1 and as rules are forthcoming, more businesses are expected to join.
Further, those companies that get a head start will be better positioned to shape debate about the regulations or to gain market advantage for products, such as solar panels, wind turbines or alternative fuels.
"It is a useful exercise for businesses to go through the process of beginning to register and learn their total emissions," said Vince Sollitto, a spokesman for the California Chamber of Commerce, which urged many of its 15,000 members to act last month. "There is a possibility for early action credits," he said.
The obscure climate registry is a nonprofit entity created four years ago to help businesses quantify their greenhouse gas emissions and track changes. Utilizing carbon-based trading markets, companies expect that their early actions to cut emissions will give them some relief once mandatory reductions occur. They might be able to profit from selling a portion of their credits to companies that are hard-pressed to make significant reductions.
The registry "can help facilitate the transition into a world where climate is part of the legal and regulatory environment," said Mary Nichols, director of the Institute of the Environment at UCLA.
